Your body has over 2,000 acupuncture points. Acupuncture, a popular traditional Chinese medicine, works by targeting these points to enhance the body's ability to heal naturally. During treatment, an acupuncturist will insert thin needles into the skin at strategic points to allow the release of energy flows (Qi). This helps to alleviate pain, increase overall energy, and kick-start the natural healing process.
If you want your life back after an auto accident, it is imperative to consider acupuncture treatments. They are non-invasive and work well along with other medical treatments. Generally, acupuncturists' sessions can help with pain treatment and management and cut down rehab time. Your acupuncturist will partner with you to ensure you get back to your regular life within the least time possible.
Understanding How Acupuncture For Auto Accidents Works
Acupuncture promotes pain relief and supports the body's natural healing process. Treatment targets imbalances that cause illnesses, pain, and stress. It also improves blood flow, increasing oxygen supply around the body for the proper functioning of various organs. An acupuncturist inserts fine needles in predetermined energy pathways to stimulate and enhance your body's self-healing abilities.
By boosting the proper circulation of blood, oxygen, and energy, acupuncture also ensures injured body parts receive fresh supplies of nutrients and hormones. Car accidents are notorious for causing inflammation that restricts the proper flow of blood. Organs and tissues that remain deprived of oxygen gradually weaken, become depleted and eventually stop functioning.
Western medicine primarily targets the symptoms of an ailment. On the other hand, acupuncture is a holistic treatment approach that focuses on helping the body function correctly. This ensures you find relief from complex and interconnected pain sources.
Generally, acupuncture delivers commendable results by:
- Reducing inflammation
- Improving blood flow to injured areas
- Boosting your overall immunity
- Improving organ functioning
- Reducing the risk of external and external scarring
- Encouraging the body to repair itself and replace damaged tissues
Irrespective of the symptoms you are experiencing following an auto accident, you can depend on acupuncture to feel much better. Treatments provide pain relief and also stimulate the production of endorphins and parasympathetic. Sessions will leave you with a general feeling of wellness to ensure you can cope well as you nurse accident injuries.
How Acupuncture Treatment for Auto Accidents Can Help
Acupuncture is an effective method of dealing with many concerns from an auto accident. Treatment can re-balance energy, allowing your body to address inflammation, pain, and stress naturally.
This pill-free form of treatment can also help with the following concerns:
Neck Pain or Stiffness
Car accidents are notorious for causing neck injuries. Unfortunately, innovators are yet to invent protective equipment to shield the neck from harm during a car crash. While the seat belt holds the body in place, the head and neck remain unrestrained, making them more vulnerable to jerking back and forth in rapid movements. An auto accident can cause serious injury to the neck tendons, ligaments, muscles, and nerves.
Common neck injury symptoms stemming from a car accident include dizziness, persistent headaches, stiffness, and pain that radiates to the hands, arms, and shoulders.
One of the most prevalent neck injuries caused by car accidents is whiplash. It occurs when the neck and head jerk in different directions in a sudden motion. These movements strain, tear and damage the neck's muscles, nerves, ligaments, and connective tissues. Often, symptoms present hours after a crash and can persist for weeks, months, or years after an incident.
Acupuncture treatments can come in handy when treating neck pain and stiffness. Sessions aim to alleviate the aches and restore proper neck functions.
Inflammation
Auto accidents cause a wide range of injuries, including inflammation. The violent force can injure delicate muscles, bones, and tendons or change the mechanics of the joints. These are all factors that increase the risk of inflammation.
Inflammation is the process through which the body's immune system sends out white blood cells to fight invaders like viruses and bacteria. Often, this process causes rapid healing of minor injuries. An inflamed body part could show redness, swelling, heat, and pain.
Traumatic experiences like auto accidents cause immense inflammation that could cause excessive fluid to remain trapped within the body. You could notice swelling of various areas like the face, legs, hands, and feet. Other signs of inflammation include puffiness and stretched, shiny skin.
Acupuncture is an effective method of treating the pain and discomfort of inflammation. Treatment sessions are practical because they do not add stress to an injury. You do not need to worry about having to stretch the inflamed area or undergo any invasive procedure. The goal is to encourage recovery without subjecting you to excessive pain.
Back Pain
Contrary to popular belief, the spinal cord is a delicate part vulnerable to injury. Merely sleeping in an awkward position or lifting an overly heavy box can leave you with backaches that last for hours or days. Injuries to the spine tend to be more severe during a car crash because more force is exerted against the spine.
An accident can leave you with pain in the cervical spine and upper and lower back. Some common causes of back pain include spinal strains or sprains, whiplash, disc damage, and injuries to facet joints that connect the vertebrae in the spine. The aches could also stem from nerve injury or soft tissue injury.
The body has specific Qi meridians that can help accelerate back pain healing. For instance, the acupuncture points that target lower back pain are situated in the feet, hands, back of the knees, hips, and stomach. On the other hand, acupuncture points that target upper back pain are found on the upper back, shoulders, neck, and head.
Your acupuncturist will choose the points to stimulate based on your concerns. The professional can also fashion treatment to target other similar neuromuscular issues that cause persistent aches and discomfort.
Stress Relieve
Acupuncturists create a stress-relieving aura during treatment sessions. During treatment, you will maintain a resting position for at least half an hour as you rest your eyes and listen to soft music. This by itself promotes relaxation and stress relief.
Inserting the fine needles on your body's energy meridians enhances the free movement of Qi throughout your body. This helps to alleviate headaches, migraines, muscle tension, stress, and irritability. Patients feel more relaxed and often fall into a deep sleep when stagnant energy is freed to circulate in the body, including injured, wounded, and inflamed areas.
Also, acupuncture enhances the production of happy hormones like endorphin, serotonin, and epinephrine. At the same time, it reduces cortisol, which is the primary stress hormone. This, coupled with other perks like a balanced heart rate and blood pressure, will help mitigate stress and enhance your physical and mental wellness.
Postoperative Pain
Specific modes of acupuncture help improve postoperative pain in as little as one day following surgery. Treatments minimize reliance on opioids. Like pain medication, acupuncture prompts dopamine release, reducing pain perception. If an auto accident has left you needing an operation, scheduling acupuncture after that can help you enjoy lasting pain relief sooner than later.
Acupuncture is a minimally invasive form of treatment with no significant side effects. While it is necessary to undergo a complete physical checkup and depend on western medication for serious concerns like bone fractures or brain injuries, acupuncture can come in handy when treating or managing pain. Treatments are known to correct complications that modern medicine cannot address.
Compelling Reasons to Consider Acupuncture Treatments After a Car Accident
The nature and severity of the injuries you sustain during a car crash will dictate the range of treatment options you should consider. Seeking acupuncture as part of your wellness plan can be beneficial in ensuring holistic healing of your body after a traumatic event.
Here are compelling reasons to schedule your next appointment with an acupuncturist:
Treatment Resets the Body
An auto accident can cause numerous concerns, including bruised muscles, dislocated joints, inflammation, and a persistent feeling of pain and fatigue. It could be time to schedule acupuncture if you feel off, even after seeking regular treatments.
Acupuncturists use fine needles that stimulate nerves and activate the internal healing mechanism. Sessions focus on specific injured areas where the brain should send signals to repair damaged tissues and restore balance. Allowing energy to flow freely prompts the proper functioning of body systems and organs to give you a general feeling of wellness.
Quick Pain Relief
Pain is the body's way of telling you that something is amiss. One of the significant causes of pain after an auto accident is inflammation. An acupuncturist can target the precise source of pain and place needles directly above to boost blood flow, allow free movement of Qi and encourage the body to heal the inflamed area naturally. Unfortunately, reliance on painkillers can upset your body's natural balance while only masking the source of aches.
Acupuncture Can Restore Your Overall Wellness
Acupuncture heals the body, spirit, and soul. Most patients feel physically and mentally better after a few treatment sessions. Even after healing auto accident injuries, it is highly recommended to continue sessions to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Common injury symptoms like pain, discomfort, inflammation, and swelling can be hard on your body. The longer you endure these symptoms, the greater the hit on your body. Acupuncture is non-invasive, and treatment offers an effective way of alleviating these symptoms to promote overall wellness.
Boost Your Immunity
Bouncing back and becoming strong could seem like a far-fetched dream, especially when an auto accident leaves you with catastrophic injuries. A common symptom you could experience when recovering is a persistent feeling of being rundown and tired. You could also experience digestive problems or notice your wounds not healing as fast as expected.
Acupuncture can help by boosting your immune system. Studies show that treatment can increase the T-cell and white blood cell numbers to ensure your body is strong enough to fight infections. An enhanced body immune response will also fight other symptoms of auto accident injuries like stress, poor sleep, and anxiety.
Acupuncture is one of the many forms of treatment that can help you regain whole-body wellness after a car accident. It is perfectly okay to consult with your doctor to find out whether you can benefit from the services of an acupuncturist. Once you have the green light, your acupuncturist will review your medical history and get you into a treatment plan designed to improve your condition and overall wellness.
Car Accident Acupuncture FAQS
If you are still undecided on whether to schedule acupuncture after a car accident, here is more information to help you make an informed choice:
Is Acupuncture Painful?
Generally, acupuncture is painless. However, some people experience a little prick or electrical sensation as an acupuncturist inserts the needles into their skin. Fortunately, inserting the needles only takes a few minutes, and removing them is pain-free.
Does Treatment Have Any Side Effects?
Acupuncture has little or no side effects. However, some patients could experience mild side effects like itching, bruising, and redness once the specialist removes the needles. These side effects only last for a few hours or days.
How Long Is An Acupuncture Session?
Acupuncture treatment sessions last for about 20 to 30 minutes. Most patients do not notice as time passes because they nap while listening to relaxing music. After the session, returning to your usual routines is perfectly okay.
Find a Torrance Acupuncturist Near Me
Recovery after an auto accident can be long, painful, and emotionally wrecking. Fortunately, acupuncture can speed up healing and help you bounce back to your old self within the least time possible. Treatment re-energizes your body, alleviates pain, and reduces reliance on pain medication. At Trinity Acupuncture, we aim to provide holistic treatment to clients in Torrance, CA. We also work to help you enjoy a life free of aches, pains, and never-ending rehabilitation treatments. Call us today at 310-371-1777 for consultation, and let us partner with you in creating a treatment plan to help you regain your life.